Doctoral Dissertation Research: Landscape and Soil Evolution in Patterned Ground on a Recently Deglaciated Terrain in Jotunheimen, Norway

沿时间景观梯度的地貌和土壤的起源长期以来一直是地貌学、土壤学及其相关领域研究和推测的主题。直到更新世晚期才被冰川覆盖的亚北极地区也是如此。虽然人们对冰雹和其他地貌以及土壤形成的日期和过程的分析给予了相当大的关注，但对将微尺度地貌和土壤的发展与植被演替联系起来的综合考察却少得多。本博士论文研究项目将研究挪威中南部乔顿黑门晚全新世冰川消融地区微尺度景观演化的地质生态控制。这项研究将侧重于在冰川消融后最初有利于形成花纹地面的当地环境参数，还将关注导致微尺度(从0.5m到3m)花纹地面地貌的植被演替和土壤发育的过程。该项目的中心假设是，在有模式的地面上出现了显著的微尺度土壤发育差异，并与植被演替呈正相关。由于霜冻活动减少，植被往往会在有图案的地面结构的外围扎根。与物理环境参数相关的生物效应将在沿时间序列样带的有图案的地面内的土壤发生方面越来越明显地被检测到。该项目将包括在Jotunheimen山区的两个冰川前滩进行实地工作。在Storbreen和Slettmarkbreen冰川之前的地形中，有大量的冰川后表面年龄的数据。除了通过挖掘土坑收集的数据外，该项目还将使用这些数据。还将对植被进行采样，以获得物种组成、多样性和覆盖度(生物量指标)的衡量标准。该项目的结果将为环境变化引起的快速景观演变提供新的见解。具体地说，这项研究将有助于理解土壤形成的控制因素，特别是植被因素，并将阐明底物控制演替的生态过程。这一知识可以预测其他山区未来的地形变化。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立研究生涯。

The origin of landforms and soils along temporal landscape gradients long has been a topic of study and speculation in geomorphology, soil science, and related fields. This is true for sub-Arctic areas that were covered by glaciers until very late in the Pleistocene. While considerable attention has been given to analyzing the dates and processes that formed moraines and other landforms as well as soils, far less attention has been given to integrated examinations that link the development of micro-scale landform and soils with vegetational succession. This doctoral dissertation research project will investigate the geoecological controls on micro-scale landscape evolution in the late-Holocene deglaciated terrain of Jotunheimen in south-central Norway. The study will focus on local environmental parameters that were conducive for the formation of patterned ground initially after deglaciation, with attention also given to the processes that led to vegetation succession and soil development in the micro-scale (from 0.5 m to 3 m) patterned ground landforms. The central hypotheses of this project are that significant micro-scale soil development differences occur within patterned ground and are positively correlated to vegetation succession. Vegetation tends to establish itself on the periphery of patterned ground structures due to decreased frost activity. The biotic effects interrelated with the physical environmental parameters will be increasingly detectable in terms of soil genesis within patterned ground along a chronosequence transect. The project will include field work in two glacial forelands within the mountainous area of Jotunheimen. Extensive data are available on postglacial surface ages in the terrains before the Storbreen and Slettmarkbreen glaciers. This project will use these data in addition to data gathered through the excavation of soil pits. Vegetation also will be sampled to obtain measures of species composition, diversity, and coverage (biomass indicator). The results of this project will provide new insights into rapid landscape evolution induced by environmental change. Specifically, this study will contribute to the understanding of factors controlling soil formation, particularly the vegetation factor, and it will elucidate the ecological process of succession as controlled by substrate. This knowledge may then allow for predictions of future landscape changes in other mountainous areas. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.